1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid dispensing valve for use with a drinking vessel, and more specifically to a fluid dispensing valve which is incorporated into a drinking vessel, and which is further suitable for use by infants, young children and other users.
2. Description of the Related Art
The known art is replete with numerous examples of various valves and other devices which have been used to meter small amounts of fluid to a young child in order to properly teach them how to drink from a cup or other drinking vessel. An example of a valve of the aforementioned type is seen and described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,215,519, the teachings of which are incorporated by reference herein. The known art is also replete with numerous valve arrangements that substantially seal a drinking vessel in the event that the drinking vessel is overturned by a user, but which are operable to permit the flow of fluid into the user's mouth when the user properly applies suction to the drinking vessel.
While the various arrangements found in the known art have worked with varying degrees of success, as a general matter, none of the known arrangements have provided a convenient means whereby a parent or guardian may conveniently and continuously adjust the volumetric flow of the fluid provided by a drinking vessel to an infant or a child as the child progressively masters the technique of drinking on their own, and which further is easy to disassemble and clean after use.
Therefore, a fluid dispensing vessel and associated valve which avoid the determents associated with devices of the known art is the subject matter of the present application.